PLAYLIST: HEROIN IN DELAWARE
New law gives better access to naloxone | 1:15

Frances Russo-Avena, a registered nurse, saved the life of a family friend staying in her home from a drug overdose by administering naloxone. Gov. John Carney is signing Senate Bill 48 to allow pharmacists to sell naloxone over the counter.
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Philadelphia's West Kensington and Fairhill neighborhoods are a major origin for the addicted community in Delaware to get heroin. Dealers and users make the short trip up and down I-95 keeping a healthy supply in the state.
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The effects of the Affordable Care Act rollback will be deadly, especially for those struggling with addiction, according to Delaware law enforcement and elected officials.

Treatment is already hard to come by in Delaware, even for those with insurance, but new health care proposals discussed earlier this week in the United States Senate indicate an even harder hit to those with chronic illness, addiction and mental health diagnoses.

"The bills under consideration by Congress are simply inhumane," said Dr. Karyl Rattay, director of the state Division of Public Health. "People will die."

Under the new plan, funding for Medicaid programs – considered the single largest provider of drug addiction treatment and mental health care – would be slashed by more than $800 billion, cutting Delaware's current budget for Medicaid by more than $2 billion, according to U.S. Sen. Tom Carper.

Already, many health insurance plans don't cover addiction treatment. Delaware laws recently signed into effect will force insurance companies to guarantee patients 14 days of inpatient treatment before reviewing their medical necessity to receive such treatment.

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Attorney General Matt Denn has been an advocate for connecting at-risk youth with resources in the city, dedicating nearly $1 million to programs for inner city children.(Photo: Jennifer Corbett, The News Journal)

These new federal health care proposals would not only inhibit these efforts, but would eliminate requirements for these addiction treatment services to be covered under private insurance plans, said state Attorney General Matt Denn, who was the driving force behind the Delaware laws.

"Here's the basic reality: Drug treatment is not free and most people can't pay for it out of pocket," Denn said. "They pay for it with their health insurance. So people who have health insurance have at least a chance of getting appropriate drug treatment. ... If you do not have health insurance, you do not have a chance."

Years ago, when the Affordable Care Act was first implemented, doctors were floored by the amount of chronically ill people that began coming through their hospital doors, said Bettina Tweardy Riveros, senior vice president of government affairs and community engagement for Christiana Care Health System. The sheer volume was largely due to the lack of access millions of Americans had to health insurance and health care, she said.

“The state's expansion of Medicaid and the coverage that is provided is absolutely critical to ensuring that our patients with substance use disorders have continued access to the ongoing treatment that helps us all improve their health," Riveros said, "and that can, frankly, save their lives.”

About 70 percent of Christiana Care patients suffering from substance use disorders rely on Medicaid to pay for their treatments, she said.

With 308 overdose deaths last year, the public health crisis shows no signs of waning in The First State. Emergency responders, so far this year, used the overdose antidote, naloxone, on average about seven times a day, according to New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer.

The addiction diversion program, dubbed Hero Help and implemented by the county last year, would also be directly hit. The program offers drug treatment rather than incarceration, but heavily relies on the support of health insurance, including Medicaid, to foot the bill.

Without these services through health insurance – and with more people suffering from a lack thereof – Delaware's most vulnerable people will suffer, he said.

"The message from Washington is clear," Meyer said. "Our national government wants to leave us behind."

Carper, who convened the press conference Friday at New Castle County Police Headquarters, pledged to keep contacting governors throughout the country and other senators to stand up and push back against what he called the "dismantling of the Affordable Care Act."

He hopes legislators will slow down efforts to pass this plan through and instead consider the estimated 23 million Americans who will lose their health insurance under these acts.

"We can do better than this," Carper said. "The American people need us to do better than this."

Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.